詹姆斯·帕特森（1947－），现居佛罗里达州，被誉为美国惊悚推理小说天王，他的作品屡屡创下美国书市排行榜销售纪录。只要新作问世，即能登上《纽约时报》畅销书排行榜第一名。

美国《出版人周报》曾评价：“帕特森的小说就像迅速运转的娱乐机器，是休闲读物中的保时捷，如雷鸣般爆发，如闪电般迅捷。最简洁的描写，最流动的语句，最精悍的章节，这一切都促成了最佳的驾御效果，他的风格和他的‘座驾’始终匹配得天衣无缝。”

在过去十年间，詹姆斯·帕特森创作了两个新侦探小说系列：“亚历克斯·克劳斯”系列（Alex Cross），包括《纽约时报》畅销书排行榜第一名的《伦敦桥》、《一只大坏狼》、《四只瞎眼鼠》、《玛丽，玛丽》；“女子谋杀案俱乐部”系列（The Women’s Murder Club），包括同样高居畅销书排行榜首位的《1号死亡》、《2次机会》、《3度夺魂》、《7月4日》、《第5个骑手》，这个系列最新出版的《第5个骑手》打破了销售记录。作者同时也发表了多部热销爱情小说，包括《苏珊娜给尼古拉斯的日记》《山姆写给詹尼弗的信》。其作品累计销售超过8000万册。

After losing one of its own, Lindsay Boxer and the Womens Murder Club make a courageous return for their fourth and most chilling case ever--one that could easily be their last. A young girl is killed in crossfire after a routine arrest goes terribly wrong, and Lt. Lindsay Boxer has to defend herself against a charge of police brutality. In a landmark trial that transfixes the nation, Lindsay fights to save her career and her sanity. While awaiting trial, Lindsay escapes to the beautiful town of Half Moon Bay, but the peaceful community there is reeling from a string of unspeakable murders. Working with her friends in the Womens Murder Club, Lindsay finds a link between these killings and a case she worked on years beforean unsolved murder that has haunted her ever since. As summer comes into full swing, Lindsay battles for her life on two fronts: before a judge and jury as her trial comes to a climax, and facing unknown adversaries who will do anything to keep her from the truth about the killings--including killing again. It all comes to a head before the big annual 4th of July celebration on the waterfront at Half Moon Bay. Patterson fine-tunes the tension like never before in this heart-racing new novel in the bestselling detective series to debut in years.